Frameless side dump trailer



A118- 19, 1958 G. E. ARMlNG'roN 2,848,275

' FRAMELESS SIDE DUMP TRAILER s 4I- GEOEGE AEM/NGTON 9 @www Aug. 19, 1958 G. E. ARMINGTON FRAUELESS SIDE DUMP TRAILER Filed July 15.r 1954 4 sheets-sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. i 660265 f.' 44PM/fueron Aug. 19, 1958 Q. E. ARMINGTQN v2,848,275

FRAusLEss SIDE DUMP TRAILER Filed July 15, 1954 4 sheets-sheet s IN V EN TOR. 650265 e. AeM/wro/v BY Lc. E 59 ArroeA/Eys Aug- 19, 1958 G. E. ARMINGTQN 2,848,275

' FRAMELESSSIDE DUMP TRAILER Filed July 15. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENToR. GEORGE E. AEM/NGTON AT'OENEYS United States Patent O FRAMELESS SIDE DUMP TRAILER George E. Armington, South Euclid, Ohio, assgnor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July 15, 1954, Serial No. 443,472

11 Claims. (Cl. 298-18) This invention relates to large heavy duty dumping vehicles and more particularly to a frameless dump trailer.

An object of this invention is to provide a frameless trailer having its ends pivotally mounted for tilting the load-carrying body laterally to the left or right.

Another object of this invention is to provide a frameless trailer having improved linkage mechanism to facilitate the dumping operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide hitch means directly between a trailer and its forward truck support, with proper provisions to accommodate all movements of the trailer which may occur in oif-the-highway hauling duty, without placing undue strain on the truck or the trailer.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a heavy duty frameless trailer having its dead weight substantially reduced so that more of a load can be handled.

A further object is to provide a heavy duty frameless trailer strong enough to withstand heavy impacts which are received during the loading of large pieces of material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a frarneless trailer :characterized by its structural simplicity, the ease of assembly of its parts, its strong and sturdy nature and its low manufacturing cost. Other features of this invention reside in the arrangement and design of the parts for carrying out their appropriate functions.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and description and the essential features will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my novel frameless trailer, showing the dumping body supported between front and rear wheel means.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the frameless trailer shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation, enlarged, of the trailer taken along the plane of line 3--3 of Fig. l showing the load-carrying position of the body in full lines and both left and right lateral dumping positions in broken lines.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the rear connecting link taken along the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, enlarged, taken along the plane of line 5 5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the position of the front linkage when the body is dumped to the left.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 6 showing the front linkage position when the body is dumped to the right.

Fig.v 8 is a sectional view, enlarged, taken plane o'f line 8 8 of Fig. 2.

I have discovered that by eliminating the usual heavy frame .accompanying previous dumping vehicles, it becomes possibleto substantially reduce the weight of the along the The body thus forms a beam between the front and rearice M machine and at the same time increase its load carrying capacity. Oli-the-road vehicles in the past have had extremely heavy framework in order to withstand the large stresses placed upon them.

My novel light weight frameless trailer consists of a dumping body of unitary structure, which provides its own frame. The body or bed 10 of Figs. l and 2, is of the cart type having a generally rectangular form. A drawbar 12 extends forwardly from the body 10 to which it is rigidly attached and by which the body may be hitched to a tractor or other draft appliance. The drawbar also serves the important function of connecting the body 10 with -front pivotal means which Will be subsequently ldiscussed in detail. The rear of the bed is provided with an extension member 14 which is pivotally mounted on rear wheel means having a heavy duty axle and truck mounting which will hereinafter be more specilically discussed. The parts thus lfar described comprises the principal parts of the trailer.

More particularly the body 10 comprises a bottom wall 16 with side wall-s 17 extending upwardly and outwardly and end walls 18 which are shown substantially vertical but may also be slanted if desired. The body is reinforced by rigidly attached structural members 19 located on the outside walls, as indicated. The structural members 19 are made of angle irons or similar structural members and extend around and beneath the body 10 from edge to edge. The Isides are further reinforced by having their upper edges 17a turned or lapped under to give additional rigidity along the longitudinal axis of said body.

wheel means.

The rear portion of the body is supported on rear wheels 20 by means of an extension member 14 rigidly Ifastened to said body. Said extension has an inclined upper surface 14a and a width slightly less than the spacing between the two innermost rear wheels. A tire protective shield 22 having laterally inclined sides 22a intersecting in an apex 2212 is rigidly secured to the end wall of body 10 and supported throughout its length by a truss-like framework 24 composed of a plurality of angle irons or other suitable structural members. The shield 22 extends laterally outwardly a distance to fully protect the outermost rear wheels 20. In this manner, any falling material will be deflected by the shield before it can do damage to the wheels which are usually provided with pneumatic tires, the tires being very costly and sus-iv ceptible to great damage.

The rear wheels 20 are provided with a heavy duty axle 25. The axle 25 has a pair of laterally spaced frameretaining clamps 26 attached thereto. Longitudinally extending leaf springs 27 are secured to the axle by said clamps. Load-carrying body 28 is supported on brackets 29Awhich are fastened to each end of the springs and extend upwardly. Thus, a body supporting frame or truck is provided and is suitably balanced over the rear Wheels 20 and axle 25.

For purposes of pivotally connecting body 10 to the rear truck, I have provided a pair of spaced relatively long arms or links 30 which are connected at their outer ends to suitable lower and upper brackets 32 and 33 respectively, which extend transversely across the rear truck. The lower brackets 32 are made from generally U-shaped channel members, having horizontal bottoms and spaced side walls. The top surface of the upper bracket 33 is rigidly secured to the bottom of extension 14. The bottom of the lower bracket 32 is rigidly secured to the rear truck. As can be best seen in Fig. 3, the upper and lower brackets are cut substantially diagonally across their side walls, this per- 4 I nitting the sides to abut one another along substantially.

However, while the linkage normally maintains the body in a non-dumping position, it also permits the body to oscillare through the entire range of titlting movement without interference.

The novel hitch and linkage assembly permits dumping of the body even though the tractor is disposed at a sharp angle with the body 10.

The operation of dumping the trailer body may be performed manually or through suitable power means having operative connections to raise either side of the body. This practice in employing power means for tilting the body is well known and inasmuch as such apparatus forms not part of the present invention, I have not shown the same.

For the purpose of tilting the body, I have provided a bracket 63 on the outer surface of each of the side walls of the body l0. The bracket has a center open portion for purposes of receiving a hook 64 suspended from a crane or other suitable power mechanism. A

vertical thrust upon the chain and hook shown, will cause the engaged side of the body 10 to tilt upwardly, thus dumping the load to other side.

It will, of course, be understood that the front and rear link mechanisms are so disposed as to have the corresponding ends and cooperating links positioned to facilitate oscillatory movement of the body.

In view of the forgeoing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by -the spirit of this invention.

My frameless body might be incorporated in a selfpowered vehicle, as will be readily understood.

Jhat l claim is:

l. An oif-the-road vehicle comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, a frameless laterally discharging bed pivotally mounted between said trucks, and link means connected between the bed and the truck on each of said axles being movable relative to each of said trucks for directing the pivotal movement of said bed. i

2. A vehicle comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, a frameless laterally discharging bed pivotally mounted between said trucks, a pairl of spaced links pivotally connected to each of said trucks, corresponding ends of said links being pivotally connected to second links, said bed being connected to said second link, one of said connected links controlling lateral tilting of said bed to one side, and another of said connected links controlling tilting to the opposite side.

3. A vehicle comprising a front and rear axle, e'ach of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, a frameless laterally discharging bed pivotally mounted between said trucks, a pair of longitudinally spaced links pivotally connected to each of said trucks, corresponding ends of said links being pivotally connected to second links, said bed connected to said second links, said connected links lying adjacent and parallel to one another, one of said connected links controlling lateral tilting of said bed to one side, and another of said connected links tilting to the opposite side.

i 4. A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, each of said t'rucks extending fore and aft of its associated wheel means, a frameless laterally tilting body extending between said trucks, said body connected to a universal hitch at its forward end, said hitch being pivotally connected to a pair of spaced inner links, each of said inner links beingpivotally connected at one end to an outer link, said outer links being pivotally connected at one end to said inner link and pivotally connected at its other end to the truck on said front axle, said inner and outer links lying substantially parallel to one another and extending transversely across said trucks, pairs of inner and outer transverse links on said rear trucks, said links pivotally connecting said rear truck and said body, corresponding ends of said front and rear truck links having cooperating pivotal positions adapted to direct tilting of said body in either lateral direction, to discharge its load.

5'. A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, a frameless laterally tilting body adapted to pivot between said front and rear trucks, a rigid draw bar on the front of said body and an extension on the rear of the said body, front and rear pivotal means associated between said body and said trucks, said front pivotal means comprising a connecting pin extending rotatably through said draw bar, said pin terminating in a universal hitch comprising a bracket having a pair of lateral spaced forked ends, a transverse shaft extending between said forked ends, said shaft receiving a sleeved bracket having longitudinally extending arms diverging therefrom, a pair of transversely disposed end plates, said arms pivotally engaging said plates, said plates being rigidly secured to a pair of longitudinally extending support members, said support members being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of said forked bracket, shoulder means on said bracket extending laterally ,outwardly to abut one of said support members when said body is tilted laterally to one side or the other, corresponding ends of said support members being rigidly secured to a pairsaid link members being pivotally connected to the rear` truck at one end and said body extension at the otherl end, corresponding ends of said inner and outer front and rear truck links having cooperating positions, whereby said body may be tilted sidewardly in either lateralV direction.

6. A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted onv each of said axles, each of said trucks extending fore and aft a distance greater than the width of itsv associated wheel means, a frameless laterally tilting body adapted to pivot between said front and rear trucks, a rigid draw bar on the front of said body and an extension on the rear of said body, front and rear pivotal means associated between said body and said trucks, said front pivotall means comprisingl connecting means between said draw bar and a universal hitch, said hitch comprising brackets having pairs of laterally spaced forked ends, said bracket' pivotally engaging a pair of spaced plates, said plates being rigidly secured to a pair of longitudinally extending support members, said support members being secured to link means which extend transversely a distance'beyond each of said support members, said link means pivotally connected to-said front truck, said rear pivotal means comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced transversely extending U-shaped channel members, each of said pair of channel members comprising an upper and lower channel portion, said lower portion being rigidly. fastened to said rear truck, said upper portion being rigidly fastened to said body extension, said upper and lower channels having common sides abutting along substantially their entire length, an intermediate connecting link positioned within said channels, said link being pivotally connected to the lower channel at one end and the 7 upper channel member at the other end, corresponding ends kof said front and rear truck links having cooperating pivotalpositions, whereby said body may be tilted sidewardly in either lateral direction, to discharge its load.

7. A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, each of said trucks extending fore and aft a distance greater than the width of its associated wheel means, a frameless laterally tilting body adapted to pivot between said front and rear trucks, a rigid draw bar on the front of said body and an extension on the rear of said body, front and Arear pivotal means associated between said body and said trucks, said front pivotal means comprising a connecting pin extending rotatably through said draw bar, said pin terminating in auniversalhitch comprising a bracket having a pair of laterally spaced forked ends, a transverse shaft extending between said forked ends, a sleeved bracket on said shaft, said brackethaving longitudinally extending arms diverging therefrom, a pair of transversely disposed end plates, said arms pivotally engaging said plates, said plates being rigidly secured to a pair of longitudinally extending support members, said support members being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of said forked bracket, shoulder means on said bracket extending laterally outwardly to abut one of said support members when said body is tilted laterally to one side or the other, corresponding ends of said support members being rigidly secured to a pair of inner links which extend transversely a distance beyond each of said support members, an outer link pivotally connected to each of said inner links at one end and pivotally connected at its other end to said front truck, said rear pivotal means comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced transversely extending U- shaped channel members, each of said pair comprising an upper and lower channel portion, said lower portion being rigidly fastened to said truck, said upper portion being ,rigidly fastened to said body extension, said upper and lower channels having common sides abutting along substantially their entire length, an intermediate connecting link positioned within said channels, said link being pivotally connected to the lower channel at one end and the upper channel member at the other end, corresponding ends of said front and rear truck links having cooperating pivotal positions, whereby said body may be tilted sidewardly in .either lateral direction, to discharge its load.

8. A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, each of said trucks extending fore and aft a distance greater than the width of its associated Wheel means, a frameless laterally tilting body extending between said trucks, a draw bar fastened to the front of said body, said draw bar connected to a universal hitch at its forward end, said universal hitch pivotally connected to transversely extending link means, said link means pivotally connected to said front truck, an extension on the rear portion of said body, spaced transverse links between said rear truck and said extension, said last-named links being pivotally connected at one end to said rear truck Iand at their other end to said extension, said link means and spaced transverse links cooperating to direct tilting of said body sidewardly in either lateral direction.

9. A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each of said ,axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, a frameless laterally tilting body extending between said trucks, a draw bar fastened to the front of said body, said draw bar connected to a universal hitch at its forward end, said universal hitch pivotally-connected to transversely extending link means, said llink means being pivotally connected to said front truck, --anextension member `on the rear portion of said body, a pair of spaced transverse links between the rear trucky and said extension, U-shaped channels forming brackets -on I'saidrear truck .and said extension, said links being pivotally connected lat one end to said rear truck and -at their other end .to said extension member, said brackets ihaving-complernentary side walls completely-enclosing said links when said body is in a nondurnping position, `said link means and spaced transverse links `cooperating -'todirect :tilting f of said body Asidewardly in either lateral direction.

l0. A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each ofsaid axles mounted lon :wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, a frameless laterally tilting body extending between said trucks, a draw bar fastened to the -front `of .:said body, said draw bar connected to a universal ihitch zataits `forwardmost end, said universal hitch comprising a pair of associated brackets, one of said brackets fhaving ltransversely extending arms, the other bracket having longitudinally extending arms, both of said V.brackets having a common pivotal shaft, said universal :hitchbeing pivotally connected to a pair of spaced :transversely extending inner links, an outer link pivotally connected to each of said inner links at one end :and pivotally :connected at its other end to said front Ltruck, :an extension on the rear portion of said body, spaced transverse links between the rear truck and :said extension, :said last A.named links being pivotally connected at one end to said rear truck and at their other end tto saidy extension, said links cooperating to directfitilting :of .said body sidewardly in either lateral direction.

al1..A trailer comprising a front and rear axle, each of said axles mounted on wheel means, a truck mounted on each of said axles, each of said trucks extending fore and aft a distancegreater'than the width of its associated wheel means, a frameless laterally tilting body extending between said trucks, a draw bar fastened to the front of said body, said .draw bar vbeing connected to a universal hitch at its forward end, said universal hitch comprisinga pair of associated brackets, one of said brackets having ,transversely Aextending arms, the other bracket havinglongitudinally extending arms, both of said brackets having ra common pivotal shaft, said universal hitch being pivotally connected to a pair of spaced transversely V.extendii'ig inner links, an outer link being pivotally connected to each of said inner links at one end and gpiyotally ,connected at its other end to said front truck, an extension member on the rear portion of said body, ya pair of spaced `transverse links between the rear truc-k and-said Yextension member, U-shaped channels forming brackets on said rear truck and said extension member, said Alastnamed links being pivotally connected at one end t0 .Said rear truck and at their other end to saidextension member, said brackets having complementary' side walls completely enclosing said transverse links when said body is in a non-dumping position, said links cooperating to direct tilting of said body sidewardly in either lateral direction.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,489,688 Astrom Apr. 8, 1924 1,652,262 Walter Dec. 13, 1927 1,933,689 Wirz Nov. 7, i933 2,362,262 French Nov. 7, i944 2,513,552 Dove' July 4, 1950 

